


financials

by freedomatsea



Series: a messy situation [17]
Category: Good Girls (TV)
Genre: F/M, Fluff and Angst
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-07
Updated: 2019-04-07
Packaged: 2020-01-06 02:20:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,270
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18378962
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/freedomatsea/pseuds/freedomatsea
Summary: Agent Turner returns with the subpoena. (part 17 of 'a messy situation')





	financials

Rio nodded his head towards the door, just as Rachel popped her head into Beth’s office. “Hey Beth, when your IT guy is done with your computer, do you mind letting me borrow him? I’ve been having issues with my accounts payable access.” 

“Of course,” Beth forced a smile, glancing towards her desk where Demetrius sat working at her computer. “It might not be today. Okay? We’re upgrading a few programs.” 

“I can wait a day or two. Thanks!” Rachel was gone, almost as quickly as she’d appeared at the door. 

Beth rubbed at her forehead, “This is a nightmare, Rio.” 

“Don’t you worry, mama. I’ll take a look at her accounts payable.” Rio assured her with a grin. “I gotchu.” 

Beth crossed her arms across her chest, feeling awfully insecure in the moment. “Our entire world is on the cusp of falling apart. Curb the charm.” She bristled, looking back to Demetrius. “How’s it going? Any progress?”

Demetrius gave her a sideways look. “Rio, man… I need to concentrate.” 

“Yea, yea.” Rio nodded his head, walking around the desk to look at what Demetrius was looking at. He patted him on the shoulder, before sauntering towards Beth. “Wanna take one of those nice mom-vans out for a spin ‘round the block?”

Beth’s brows drew together, “ _ Sure _ .” 

“Come on,” Rio took her hand, rubbing his thumb over the back of her hand as he led her from the office, grabbing a key off the board, and guiding her out towards the car lot. “You wanna drive?” 

“No,” Beth shook her head. “I have a killer headache.” She knew that Rio was  _ good _ at covering his tracks, but there was an ever present fear that whatever Demetrius did wouldn’t be good enough to mask what they were doing. Agent Turner would turn up tomorrow, subpoena in hand and everything would fall apart. What was she going to do? Dean would never manage to raise the kids on his own. 

“You crying before I got here?” Rio questioned as he moved around to her side of the car and opened the door for her. 

Beth gave him an unamused look. “What do  _ you _ think?” She was well aware that she looked like  _ shit _ . The second she’d gotten Dean out of the dealership, she’d holed herself up in the bathroom. It was like a knot of emotion had come loose in her chest. Fear, mostly. 

“It’s gonna be okay.” Rio reached out to brush his fingers over her forehead, trailing his knuckles over her cheek before he leaned in to press a quick kiss to her lips. “Nothin’ to worry about. My boy’s gonna set it all up and not even the best guy at the FBI’s gonna crack it.”

Beth blew out a shaky breath. “How do you know that? Who knows what the FBI can do.”

Rio’s cocky bravado fell away. “I know what they’re capable of. Demetrius is  _ good _ . He’s a good contact. Trust me when I tell you that  _ we _ are gonna be good.”

“Wait, does he…” 

“ _ Yes _ .” Rio nodded his head slowly. “Like I’ve said before. I’ve got the contacts to keep our asses out of the fire, unless a fucker like carman messes shit up.”

Beth ducked her head. “I don’t want to talk about Dean.”

Rio crossed his arms across his chest. “I’m just itchin’ for the day you tell me I can put him down.”

“It’s not far off.” She admitted as she moved to sit down in the car. Rio shut the door and walked around to the driver’s side. “Why didn’t you ever tell me about this boutique hotel venture?”

“You wanna see a list of all my side businesses and ventures, baby? Cause the list is  _ long _ .” Rio put the key in the ignition and reversed the van. 

“Just tell me about the hotel.” Beth said, wringing her hands together in her lap, her eyes fixed on the world outside her window. 

“My buddy Johnny and his wife needed a silent partner type for their start up in the city. Great place. Refurbed fire station. Swanky shit.” He drummed his thumb against the steering wheel. “I had some clean money from  _ another _ hustle and I decided to invest. They’re rolling in it, so it’s no harm, no foul to pull it out for this.” He shrugged a shoulder. “Demetrius is gonna clean up all the deposits and make it look like that money got moved from point A to point B. Free and clean.”

Beth rubbed her lips together as she turned to look at him. “Are there any other  _ ventures _ I need to know about?”

“If you really want me to, I’ll sit down and list ‘em all out for you. I’m trying to shorten the list as it is. I’m  _ still  _ stretched thin.” He reached over and squeezed her knee. “Whatever you wanna know. This weekend, you and me, my place…”

She rubbed at her temples. Her head was  _ killing _ her. “Let’s get through tomorrow first.” Beth leaned her elbow against the window, pressing her cheek against her palm. “We’re going to have to flip our game, aren’t we?”

Rio nodded his head slowly. “Yea.  _ Yea _ . But we’ll cross that one. Don’t wanna rouse too much, ‘till tomorrow passes anyways.” He squeezed her leg. “It’s gonna work out, Elizabeth.”

“I really want to believe you.” Beth placed her hand over his. “But I’m  _ terrified _ . I don’t want to lose my kids.”

“You’re not gonna lose your kids,” Rio shook his head. “You’re not gonna go to jail. I promise you.” He took the opportunity, while stopped at a red light, to lean over and kiss her cheek. “You trust me?”

Beth turned her head to look at him, her eyes flickering over his features. She  _ should  _ say ‘no’. No was the logical answer when someone like Rio asked if you trusted them. But she did. Maybe against better judgment. “I trust you.”

“Turner’s gonna look like an idiot when his tip turns out to be wrong.” Rio squeezed her leg. “I told you I’d handle this. You’re not in this life for years with a trick or two up your sleeve.”

She nodded her head slowly, before she pulled the lever at the side of her seat and reclined it back. “My head is still killing me. I’m just going to close my eyes for a minute.”

* * *

Beth’s lashes fluttered as she felt Rio’s lips on her forehead. “Oh God, how long have I been asleep?” She questioned, her throat sore from breathing through her mouth while she’d slept. She blinked again, a surge of panicking waking her up fully when she realized it was night. “The kids!”

“I got ahold of Annie to pick ‘em up for you.” He brushed his fingers over her forehead. “You’ve been out for almost four hours. Feel better?”

“ _ Four _ hours.” She rolled her shoulders, “Headache’s almost gone.” Beth rubbed at her eyes, before she unbuckled her seatbelt. “You drove the van  _ home _ ?”

Rio pressed his lips together, “You needed the rest, baby.” He brushed his fingertips over her cheek. “I grabbed your purse  _ and _ put Emma’s booster in the trunk.”

“I slept through  _ all _ of that?”

He nodded, “You were out cold.” 

Beth moved to get out of the car, “Crying takes a lot out of you. I hate it.” She stepped close to him, placing her hand on his chest. “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.” He pressed a kiss to her forehead. “Hope you don’t mind that I asked Annie to order pizza.”

“The kids will be  _ thrilled _ .” Beth reached for his hand, squeezing it. “Did Demetrius finish it?”

“Yea,” Rio laced their fingers together. “He’s got it all cleaned up and he printed the reports out to comply with the subpoena.” He brought her hand up to his lips, holding her gaze. “You want me there in the morning?”

Beth sighed and shook her head. “I can handle Agent Turner.” She ran her fingers through her hair, straightening her back. “But right now, I want pizza.” 

* * *

Annie grabbed her fourth slice of pizza, taking a bite of it as she started to talk. “So Turner’s going to start snooping around the dealership more, right? You don’t really think he’s just going to drop it, do you?”

Beth shrugged as she sipped at her bourbon, “Depends on whether or not Dean comes forward as the source. I told him to say that he’s just the jealous ex trying to cause shit. We’ll see.” She smiled a little as Rio returned to the table. “All good?” 

“Kenny’s almost done with his homework, the girls are down for the count, and Danny’s nearly there.” He grabbed the bottle of bourbon and refilled his glass, sitting back down at the table beside Beth. 

“Have you thought about just…  _ killing _ Deansie?” Annie questioned in between chewing another bite of pizza. 

“ _ Annie _ !” 

“Thought’s crossed my mind.” Rio glowered, giving Beth a sideways look. “But those kids are his.” 

Beth took another sip of her bourbon, sitting the glass down on the table. “The thought has crossed  _ my _ mind too,” She admitted, keeping her gaze on her glass. “But if he tells Agent Turner that he was the source  _ and _ that he did it out of jealousy or whatever, it’s going to look suspicious.” She ran her thumb around the rim of the glass. “Boomer was risky enough. If something happens to Dean, they’ll look at Boomer again. We’ll  _ all _ go down for that.” 

Annie crossed her arms across her chest, sighing heavily. “I’m just saying… if Deansie starts conspiring against us.” She mimed cutting his head off. 

Rio chuckled, downing a shot of bourbon with a hiss. “Should’ve known you’d be down for getting your hands dirty.”

Beth shook her head, “We’re not  _ killing _ anyone.” 

“You’re no fun.” Annie reached for another piece of pizza.

“Five?  _ Really _ ?” Beth swatted her hand with a napkin. 

“Pregnant.  _ Really _ .” She pointed at her stomach. “Eating for two.” Annie took a bite out of the slice. “It’s not even about getting my hands dirty,” She started, taking another bite. “It’s self preservation. You know?”

Beth sighed heavily, “I know.” She picked up her glass and finished her bourbon off, contemplating another shot. “Trust me, I know. I could’ve done it myself a few times.” She admitted, looking to Rio. “I thought about running him over this morning after Turner left.” 

Rio slipped his hand under the table and squeezed her leg, “Too messy. Gotta be more calculated.” 

Beth rolled her eyes. “It would’ve been a spur of the moment thing.” She reached for the bourbon and poured another glass for herself. “Instead, I hit him where it hurts most and fired him.

Annie clapped her hands together, “I would’ve paid good money to see his face.” 

She smirked. “It was  _ good _ .” Beth sipped at her bourbon. “The best face was when he realized I would use his fake cancer scheme against him. Two can play dirty.” 

Rio released his hold on her leg so he could pour himself another glass of bourbon. “He ever say anything about the ring?” 

Beth shook her head. “He’s glared at it, but he hasn’t said word one.” She stared at the ring on her finger, rubbing her thumb over the bottom of it. “I didn’t really make a big deal about it.” She shrugged. “I should’ve known better. He was too calm about the divorce. I should’ve trusted my gut when he didn’t contest it.” 

“You showed him who's boss.” Rio nudged her arm with his elbow. 

Annie cleared her throat, leaning forward to rest her arms on the table. “Have you told Rio about your plan?”

“What plan?”

Beth laughed softly, thankful for the change of conversation. “Yes, he knows.” She smiled at Annie. “Marks Sisters Motors.”

Rio nodded his head approvingly. “Glad you agreed to it, Annie.”

“Technically haven’t  _ yet _ .” She raised her hand up to keep Beth from speaking. “But I would like to. Once this Turner thing is settled tomorrow.”

“The game’s going to be changing,” Beth explained. “Rio’s going to pull out of the dealership, it’ll just be you and me… and Ruby.”

Rio sniffed and nodded his head. “Might be changin’ the game up entirely. We’ll see how it pans out.”

“Any chance you’re planning to leave it entirely?” Annie questioned as she leaned back in her chair. 

He stared at his glass of bourbon. “Ain’t so easy. I’m pairing down, but it’ll take some time to leave it all completely.” He pursed his lips, looking to Beth then. “Leavin’ might have costs I’m not prepared to face.”

Beth chewed at her bottom lip as she studied the solemn expression on his face. They’d only ever briefly glanced over the topic. He  _ wanted _ to, mostly for Marcus’ sake — but for Marcus’ sake, he had to stay in it longer. Play the game. “Let’s just say, Rio’s got bosses too.”

“Here I thought you were top dog.” Annie remarked, eyeing another piece of pizza. 

“Wish that were the case.” Rio said as he downed the rest of his bourbon as he stood up. He squeezed Beth’s shoulder. “It’s gonna work out, ma.” He grabbed the piece of pizza Annie had been sizing up, flashing her a grin before he took a bite and turned his attention back to Beth. “Speakin’ of things workin’ out. How’d you like to meet my abuela tomorrow?”

“ _ Tomorrow _ ? Don’t you think I’ll be having an adrenaline crash tomorrow?” Beth gave an incredulous laugh. 

“It’ll give you somethin’ to look forward to.” Rio grabbed the bottle of bourbon and went to put it back where it belonged in the kitchen. “Come on, you said you wanted to meet her.”

Beth rubbed at her forehead, “Sure. I still need to pack for tomorrow.”

Annie arched a brow. 

“Dean picks the kids up at school and has them until Monday morning.” Beth explained, “So I’m going over to Rio’s place for the weekend.”

Rio re-emerged from the kitchen. “Which  _ actually _ exists.”

“You know, when you say it like that…” Annie started laughing. “It sounds like you’re gonna kidnap her or something.”

 

Beth looked over the paperwork that Demetrius her  _ fixed _ , reading and re-reading over it to make sure every ‘I’ had been dotted and every ‘T’ had been crossed. It looked good. Legitimate. And if Demetrius was who Rio had insinuated he was, then it was good enough to fool the FBI. 

 

Right at nine o’clock Agent Turner showed up on the lot with two other agents in tow. He strolled inside casually, heading straight for Beth’s office. 

 

“Good morning,” Beth chirped, putting on a smile as she stood up to greet him. “How are you today?”

“Here’s your subpoena.” Turner said, without any of the usual niceties he offered. 

Beth took it from him and looked it over. “I’ve printed out all of the reports and have everything saved to a memory stick.” She explained, glancing up at him briefly before turning her attention back to the document. 

“I appreciate your cooperation Mrs. Boland.” Agent Turner said as he picked the stack of paper up off her desk. “I’m sure everything’s order.”

“Excuse me?” Beth questioned with an arched brow. 

Agent Turner shook his head. “I have reason to believe my anonymous source may have reason to have fabricated their tip.”

Beth feigned surprise. “Who would do that?” She sat the subpoena down on her desk, crossing her arms across her chest. “Is this about my divorce?”

He shrugged. “Your  _ ex _ -husband has a chip on his shoulder. Can’t imagine why.”

“Rio  _ did _ invest money that he had from an investment downtown. A hotel I think. It helped us get back on our feet after Dean nearly bankrupted the dealership….” She played the line, exactly how she’d rehearsed with Annie and Rio. 

Turner sighed heavily, thumbing through the financial records. “Thank you for your compliance Mrs. Boland. I appreciate it.” He said firmly, before he turned on his heels and headed for the door. “Have a good day.”

“You too,” Beth said with a little wave as she watched him through the glass. 

* * *

Beth stared at her reflection in the mirror, smoothing her hands over the skirt of her dress. She had chosen a nice floral dress, one that wasn’t too tight or too loose, and one that didn’t make her feel like she was a divorc é e mother of four children trying to impress the grandmother of her younger fianc é. 

“You look stunning,” Rio remarked as he lingered in the threshold of the bedroom. “Stop worryin’. My abuela will love you.” He approached her, wrapping his arms around her middle as he pressed his lips to the curve of her neck. 

She leaned back against him, “You say that, but she hasn’t met me yet.” Beth reached behind her to run her fingers over the back of his neck. “I thought I was past the meeting the family portion of my life.” 

“ _ Surprise _ .” Rio chuckled, lifting his hand to brush his fingers over the gold bar necklace she wore. “She will  _ love _ you. Promise.” 

“What should I  _ know _ ?” 

“She will bring out the brag books.” Rio made a face in the mirror. “So prepare for  _ baby _ Rio.” He shook his head. “She will try to feed you more than you could possibly eat in one sittin’. Ask for leftovers to bring home.” He kissed her neck again. “Talk about your kids. Show her pics.” 

“Am I allowed to tell her what a sap you are with my kids?” Beth questioned as she turned around to face her. “Because I happen to have an adorable photo of you taking tea with Emma.”

Rio ran his hand over the length of her spine and groaned with a laugh. “You gotta show her that one?”

“The princess crown really brought out your eyes.” She teased, leaning in to kiss him. 

“Pink brings out brown, huh?” Rio retorted, brushing his lips over hers. “Yea, you can show her that.”

“What about when Jane decided to put makeup on your face?”

“ _ Woman _ , you’re tryin’ to ruin my street cred with my abuela.” Rio shrugged a shoulder. 

“Street cred?” Beth arched a brow and chuckled. “How does she think we met?”

“At the park.” Rio ran his hands over her arms. “You know how it is. Marcus and Emma hit it off… we scheduled a play date.” He let his hands rest at her hips. “Two single parents just had a  _ connection _ .”

She nodded her head slowly. “So she doesn’t know about your  _ job _ ?”

“No,” Rio met her gaze. “She thinks I dabble in investments. Nothin’ shady.” He brushed his knuckles over her cheek. “Like the hotel.” 

“I’m still waiting for that list of those investments.” Beth reminded him, her lips tugging upwards into a smirk.

He squeezed her hip gently, “There’s a restaurant on Woodward. Got a bit sunk into that.”

“A  _ restaurant _ ?”

Rio let out an amused chuckle, “I couldn’t show you a single restaurant that ain’t got some  _ affiliation. _ ”

“I learn something everyday…” Beth’s brows pinched together. “How long is this list?”

“Decent.” He shrugged his shoulders. “You want my accountant to work up a financial report for you, baby?”

Beth considered it. “ _ Maybe _ .” She ran her hands over his chest, looking him up and down. “We should go.” 

“You’re going to do amazingly.” Rio assured her again, smiling at her with a look she recognized as  _ pride _ . She was a nervous wreck and after the day she’d had, it seemed exasperated. But he was holding her together. 

**Author's Note:**

> The idea about restaurants comes from Lanford Wilson's "Burn/This", which I saw this week in NYC. I apologize for the delay today, nearly died in my car today so it took me awhile to get my head back on straight to write more.


End file.
